Excursions
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The university association organizes a variety of excursions that shed light on various agricultural topics and beyond. These usually take place as one-day excursions and are carried out by bus or by bicycle in the vicinity of Witzenhausen.
Excursion summer semester 2026
"Sowing the future", harvesting organic: Plant breeding for organic farming at KWS
Where to?KWS Saat (organic farm Klostergut Wiebrechtshausen + company headquarters in Einbeck)
When: 19.06.2026 from 08:30 to 16:30
Cost: €30 (HVW members €25) for travel and lunch
The agriculture of the future faces far-reaching challenges: Climate change, scarcity of resources and the desire for greater sustainability require completely new approaches in the field. Seeds play a key role in this. But how does organic plant breeding actually differ from conventional methods in practical terms? What research approaches are needed to develop resistant varieties without synthetic pesticides? How does a global corporation like KWS reconcile genetic engineering research on the one hand with breeding for organic farming on the other?
We want to get to the bottom of these questions together!
1st stop: Focus on organic breeding at the Wiebrechtshausen monastery estate
Our day begins at 10:00 a.m. at the historic Wiebrechtshausen monastery estate in Northeim. The estate is not only a traditional farm, but also the heart of organic plant breeding at KWS. The central practical operations for the field trials are located here. During a comprehensive tour of the farm, the focus is on the special features of organic cultivation. We learn directly in the field how the selection criteria, the site-specific challenges and the breeding objectives differ from conventional breeding. A real deep dive into organic farming practice!
We spend our lunch break in the idyllic old town of Einbeck in the "Brodhaus" restaurant, the oldest inn in Lower Saxony. You can choose from three different tarte flambées. You have to pay for drinks yourself.
2nd stop: High-tech research and production at the headquarters in Einbeck
After the lunch break, we will move directly from the practice area to current research and industry. From 13:30, KWS opens the doors of its headquarters in Einbeck for us. After a company presentation, we will divide into small groups to take an exclusive look at otherwise closed areas:
- The biotechnology center: experience how modern molecular biology and genetic engineering methods are changing breeding.
- The LEO greenhouse: A fully automated, state-of-the-art greenhouse system in which environmental conditions are precisely simulated to test the plants of tomorrow.
- Seed processing and packaging: Gain an insight into the high-tech processing and logistics of seeds.
The official program on site ends at around 3:30 pm, so that we can start our journey home full of new impressions. We plan to be back in Witzenhausen at 16:30.
Due to the capacities of KWS, the excursion will take place with a maximum of 35 participants; if there are more registrations, there will be a waiting list.
The registration period ends on 15.06. Registration is only complete once the participant fee has been transferred!
If you become an HVW member by 15.06., you can book the discounted price. Click here for the application form
Past excursions
Our excursion started punctually at 8:30 a.m. at the Tegut parking lot in Witzenhausen. In perfect autumn weather, we made our way to the potash region on the border between Hesse and Thuringia - a landscape characterized by impressive mining facilities and at the same time by the consequences of decades of raw material extraction.
Our first stop took us to the foot of the imposing Monte Kali, which can be seen from afar at a height of around 200 meters. There we met representatives of the citizens' initiative "For a Werraland worth living in", which is campaigning together with BUND e.V. against the increasing salinization of the Werra. In a lively discussion, we learned how badly the region is suffering from the ecological consequences of potash mining - and how much effort and perseverance is needed to bring about change. The report on the initiative's lawsuit against the K+S Group, with which it is pushing for more environmental protection and sustainable action, was particularly impressive.
A delicious snack awaited us for lunch: freshly cooked soup from the ÖX organic farm in Frankershausen. Whether vegetarian or with meat - it tasted great and gave everyone new energy. Drinks - hot and cold - were also provided so that we could start the second part of the day with renewed energy.
In the afternoon, we continued on to Merkers, where we were welcomed by Lukas Bangert, Regional Advisor at K+S. In his introductory talk, we learned exciting details about the company's products and their importance for agriculture. Then perhaps the most spectacular experience of the day began: the trip underground to what was once the largest potash mine in the world.
Trucks descended to a depth of over 800 meters - into a fascinating world of salt, rock and technology. On a tour of around 21 kilometers, we gained an insight into the geological structures, the mining processes and the day-to-day work in the mine. The temperatures of between 21 and 28 degrees Celsius provided a real "tropical climate underground" and made the tour an unforgettable experience.
We finally arrived back in Witzenhausen at around 6 p.m. - tired but enthusiastic about a day full of exciting impressions, intensive discussions and new insights into the connection between business, the environment and responsibility.
The excursion with 30 participants started on Saturday, January 27 at 8:00 a.m. in Witzenhausen at the Tegut and our first stop was the Milchmuhseum in Willingen, where the plant manager of the farmer's dairy, Andreas Siegert, told us in detail about the concept and history of the dairy and showed us films of the production processes while we tasted dairy products. He then gave us a tour of the newly built dairy and gave us an insight into the production halls.
After a hike, we stopped for lunch at the Graf Stolberg Hütte above Willingen and enjoyed one of the most beautiful views over the Sauerland region with wonderful weather, good food and drinks. The return journey took us via Waldeck, where we had our last stop of the day at the Bio Agrar Meyer farm, which has been supplying the Upländer Bauernmolkerei dairy since 2014. They keep 120 dairy cows and farm 280 hectares. We were given an interesting tour of the barn by the farm manager, who is also on the board of the cooperative, and were given a view of the dairy from the side of the supplying farms. After an eventful day, we returned to Witzenhausen at around 6 pm.